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https://ergonomictoolbox.com/software/things-3-review-best-task-manager/#respondFri, 02 Feb 2018 11:04:57 +0000https://ergonomictoolbox.com/?p=25756In this Things 3 review, I reveal why I think it’s the best standalone productivity app I’ve ever used. Things 3 for Mac, iPad and iPhone (affiliate links) could very well be the best productivity app for you – if (and only if) you’re embedded in the Apple ecosystem. For this Things 3 review, I spent […]

Things 3 for Mac, iPad and iPhone (affiliate links) could very well be the best productivity app for you – if (and only if) you’re embedded in the Apple ecosystem.

For this Things 3 review, I spent the past month with the app on all three platforms, and I’ve come away very, very impressed.

IMO, it’s the best Apple task manager, the best task manager for iPhone/iPad, and the best standalone productivity app I’ve ever used. And I’ve used a lot!

Disclosure: this Things 3 review is based on a free sample of the product.

Things 3 Review: My Productivity Journey

If you know me for my ergonomics writings, then you’ll know that I have tried out most ergonomic devices, at one time or another.

The same is true with productivity: I’ve used most note taking and task management apps that are out there.

I’m always going on about Evernote and have used everything from Outlook tasks, to my email inbox, as a task list of sorts. Following the impending demise of Wunderlist, my most recent foray led me to Nozbe.

However, despite the plethora of apps available, it’s surprising how many of them fall short on fairly basic details.

Take dates for example. Most task management apps will allow you to set a date for a task. But many of them fail to take into account the different ways that we actually use dates:

Some tasks and projects have a hard deadline. This must be met, or there will be negative consequences. But the majority of the time, we simply want a reminder so things don’t slip through the cracks.

Sometimes, all we need is a start date to set us going on a task, at the right time.

Things 3 Review: Dates in Nozbe

Nozbe, in common with the majority of apps of this nature, gives you one date field. But this is of the hard deadline variety.

Unless you rigorously review all your tasks every day, you feel forced to enter dates onto many tasks, simply as a reminder.

The problem is that Nozbe automatically stars tasks that are due today. The starred task list effectively tells you what you’re doing “now”.

Unfortunately, this means my daily list gets filled up with an overwhelming set of tasks on most days. On top of that, I get phone notifications telling me how many tasks I need to do. All this puts me off actually doing any of them!

To be fair, I’m being a bit harsh on Nozbe. It’s actually a great task manager and it works very well for teams, something that Things 3 struggles with.

However, this feeling of overwhelm is common to many task managers, once the number of to dos in the app exceed a certain number.

How big that number is varies a lot, depending on how well the user interface is designed. Most apps manage well while you’re adding your first few tasks, but very soon the rot sets in.

Thankfully, beautiful, clean design is something that Things 3 has in spades. From my daily usage over the past few weeks, I think they may have finally cracked it: no overwhelm in sight.

Things 3 Review: Design

User experience and ease of use

It’s unusual to mention design in an app review these days. We’re so used to our iPhones and tablets, that we don’t give it a second thought.

However, I feel that Things 3 breaks the mould in this respect, so successfully that my review needs to start here.

The design of Things 3 is amazingly simple, yet hides a wealth of options and features. And that’s true on all three platforms.

On iOS, the developers at Cultured Code have managed to make the experience both beautiful and intuitive. And that’s despite having separate apps for iPhone and iPad. (You read that right: they don’t have a universal iOS app).

It’s the same experience on Mac. With the exception of some keyboard shortcuts, everything you can do on iOS is faithfully reproduced, but with an eye to utilising the power of a desktop.

I would like to have seen settings to change some of the shortcuts. But there’s no denying that they’ve done an amazing job: moving from one device to another is almost completely seamless.

Like writing on paper

Things 3 offers lots of white space, so it’s always easy on the eyes. When entering and editing tasks, it’s about as close to the experience of writing on a piece of paper, as it’s possible to get in an app.

Some people might prefer to have the option of a dark mode, with white text on black, but this suits me perfectly.

Even entering a checklist inside a task, feels quick and painless. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Drag and drop

Full drag and drop is available on all the apps. Where it’s limited by iOS (iPhone has no folder pane, due to screen space), you can swipe a task right to left, then select the Move option.

Adding new tasks is even easier on iOS, due to the “Magic Plus” button, situated in the bottom right corner of the screen. Simply tap it to add a task to the current list.

On the main screen, you’ll be presented with a contextual menu instead. This allows you to add a task, new Area or Project.

Alternatively, you can drag and drop the Magic Plus button to wherever you like and the task will appear exactly where you want it. You can use this to:

place a task precisely within an ordered list of tasks, say within a project.

pop a task quickly into the Inbox. Drag it over to the bottom left of the screen and the Inbox icon will appear, so you don’t even have to change your view.

This may sound like a marketing gimmick, but having used it for the last month, I’ve found it really does add to the experience.

We’re starting to get into functionality here, rather than design. However, in Things 3, the two are so intrinsically intertwined that it’s difficult to prise them apart.

These paradigms are kept consistent throughout the app, so it’s difficult to get lost or lose track of what you’re doing.

Things 3 Review: Task Lists

Of course, adding tasks to an app is all well and good, but having one long list is a recipe for procrastination. You need a way to split them up into smaller, more manageable chunks.

Things 3 gives you a number of built in lists to start you off. These include:

Inbox

Today

Upcoming

Anytime

Someday

Logbook

There is also a Trash list. In my travels so far, it only became visible on the Mac app once items had been deleted.

Trash doesn’t appear to be visible on iPhone. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t want to see it there, anyway.

Things 3 Review: Inbox

The Inbox is just a holding area for any new task, when you’re not sure what to do with it.

This is a well known concept to those of us who practice the Getting Things Done (aka GTD) methodology (here’s the book).

The idea is that you could get the inspiration for a new task, at any time or in any place. You might also get several tasks come to mind, all at once.

When this happens, you don’t want to mess about trying to decide where to put a task: you just want to get it out of your head.

In Things 3, tasks will usually be added to whichever list or project you happen to be viewing.

However, you can quickly switch to the inbox and add your new task. Then you switch back to your previous view to carry on working.

This is one area where the Magic Plus button on the iOS apps is actually better than the Mac equivalent.

Later you’ll revisit the inbox. Then you’ll decide which list to move the task to, and when you might like to do it.

This may sound like a strange idea, but I know from many years of practice, that it works well.

Getting “stuff” out of your head means you won’t forget anything, and you’ll still be able to concentrate on the tasks at hand.

Things 3 Review:Today

The main view to get your tasks done is the Today screen. Again, it’s lovely and clean, and easy to use.

As everywhere else in the app, you can freely rearrange tasks, and there’s a nice little “daily review” built in:

When you first go into the Today view on a given day, the app tells you how many new tasks you have and helpfully highlights them.

You can then decide to simply accept them all, by pressing OK.

Alternatively, you can defer or otherwise update individual tasks, before you settle in to your work.

Another option allows you to defer a task to the evening, or pick a different date. Evening tasks are displayed in the Today view, but below the main task list.

This is a great touch. It’s the first task manager I’ve encountered where thought has been given to the process of working with your tasks.

Hopefully, it’s something that Cultured Code will add to, in future iterations. I’d love to see something to support a weekly and quarterly Things 3 review.

Things 3 Review: Upcoming

After the Today view, Upcoming is probably the one I use most, and is rapidly becoming part of my weekly review.

Here, you can see any tasks with a date on them, arranged in chronological order.

This view could quickly become overwhelming, but once again, the design of Things 3 comes to the rescue.

Dates in the coming week are shown individually, with the relevant tasks scheduled for each. You’ll also see any repeating tasks you’ve set up.

The date number is shown in large, bold text, with a handy prompt next to it, such as “Tomorrow”, or “Sunday”.

Days without tasks are still shown, but with just the right amount of white space. Therefore, you can see at a glance the general landscape of your week and which days are busiest.

Beyond these first few days, you’ll see summaries of the following weeks. If you scroll down far enough, you’ll see monthly summaries, instead.

The genius of the Upcoming view is that you can combine information from your calendars.

A simple setting allows you to switch this functionality on. Et voilà, a complete picture of what is really going on in your life.

The calendar items are read only, so you can’t edit them directly from within Things 3. However, I find this helps me avoid confusion between tasks (which can usually be put off) and appointments (which generally can’t).

The fact that your appointments are present alongside your tasks transforms this view into something truly useful. In fact, I find myself using Upcoming as an alternative to my calendar app.

Things 3 Review: Anytime

The Anytime view shows you almost all the tasks which don’t have a date on them. I say almost: see the Someday view below, for the rest.

Unlike the Upcoming view, which slices your tasks by date, Anytime dices them by Area or Project.

I’ll talk about Areas and Projects shortly, but here you’ll see the top 3 tasks assigned to each of them.

If you see any tasks sitting at the top of the view by themselves, this means they aren’t assigned anywhere at the moment.

So far, I don’t tend to use this view very often, as I tend to go directly to the projects I want to review.

However, it can give you a good overview of the different areas of your life, and help you pick up on any tasks that may have been forgotten.

I suspect that Anytime might become more useful for monthly or quarterly reviews, because I have some important goals I want to achieve this year. While the goals themselves are time sensitive, the individual tasks are usually not.

Things 3 Review: Someday

Someday is likely to be your least visited view, and for good reason:

This is the dumping ground for all the other tasks left over.

Taking another leaf from the GTD manual, Things 3 lets you move any task into this list. It’s still in your system, but on the back-burner.

Basically, it’s a space for anything you can’t work on right now. Things signifies this by turning the checkbox for Someday tasks into a faded, dotted outline.

You can still check them off, if you want, just like any other task. Alternatively, if you realise you’re never going to get round to it, you can cancel the task, instead.

Things 3 Review: Logbook

The Logbook is a fancy way of saying, “here’s all your completed tasks”.

It’s arranged chronologically, in a similar fashion to the Upcoming list, but simplified.

Completed tasks have a small blue tick in the checkbox. Cancelled tasks have a cross, and the text describing the task is struck through.

You can rescue any task you accidentally completed, by unticking it. It will immediately move back to the original list.

That said, Things 3 features a full Undo option in the Edit menu, and a similar function on iOS.

You’re therefore unlikely to visit the Logbook very much (a good thing).

Things 3 Review: Tasks

Since we are talking about a task manager app, this is where the real meat is. And I’m happy to say that Things 3 doesn’t disappoint.

As elsewhere, tasks are simple but effective. When viewed in a list, you see a checkbox on the left, then the name of the task.

Underneath the task is the project or area that it belongs to. To the right, you may see one or more icons. These indicate if the task has notes, a checklist, tags or a deadline.

Task Card View

When you open up a task by tapping on it (or pressing Enter on Mac), it expands into an easy to read card format.

On a new task, you’ll see the notes area, along with some icons in the bottom right: these allow you to add a date, tags, and so on.

As you add different options to a task, the icon will be replaced by the applicable item:

If you add a date, then the date icon will disappear, and you’ll see the date you chose on the left.

If you want to change the date later, then you just click or tap on it. This may sound complicated, but in practice, it’s remarkably intuitive.

Completing and Cancelling Tasks

You can complete a task by clicking the checkbox, or pressing the keyboard shortcut (CMD + .). And you can do this regardless of whether the card view is open, or not.

Alternatively, you can right click on a task (tap and hold the checkbox on iOS) and choose to cancel it instead.

I like the cancel function: without it, the only option is to complete the task or delete it. Neither of these is what actually happened, and you might want to keep a cancelled task around with some notes to explain why you couldn’t do it.

It’s only a small thing, but it’s surprising how often the ability to cancel tasks is left out of task managers. So it’s good to see Cultured Code embracing this function.

You may be noticing a pattern here.

The more I’ve used the app, the more I’ve discovered that Cultured Code has an eye for detail. And it’s often in the small things that Things 3 excels.

Speaking of which, there’s one area that Things 3 has absolutely nailed: dates.

Things 3 Review: Task Dates

I can’t tell you how often I’ve been frustrated by dates in task managers. My introductory story, above, may give you some indication of how strongly I feel about it.

But as I said earlier, I think Things 3 has finally cracked it. It does this using 3 separate, but interlinked functions:

Dates

Reminders

Deadlines

Dates

Dates in Things 3 are start dates. In other words, they are simply when you would like to start working on a particular task.

This is the main way of creating task schedules in the Upcoming list. And it is this date that is used to determine when a task will appear in Today.

And for many people, it may be all that’s required.

Picking dates is simplicity itself: click the date icon, or on iOS, swipe the task from left to right.

The date picker pops up, with quick Today and Evening options at the top, plus a month calendar below.

If the date you want is further into the future, just click the arrow and the calendar opens up further.

As you scroll through, the individual dates fade into the background, while the month name appears. This simple animation enables quick selection, without loss of functionality.

Incidentally, you can also use the date picker to assign tasks to Someday, as well as enter a reminder (see below).

The way Things 3 interacts with dates means that tasks always go where you want them, when you want them.

But you don’t have to keep it that way.

If you find too many tasks creeping into your Today list, you simply move some to this evening, or a later date.

And if you run out of time on today’s tasks, Things will simply keep them in the Today view, so they’ll be ready for you to look at tomorrow.

Importantly, Things 3 will not flag those tasks as overdue, so there’s no psychological nagging from your task list.

Reminders

If you’re using Things 3 as it should be, checking inside every day, then dates will suffice for most time sensitive tasks.

However, if you know you need to do a task at a particular time of day and you don’t want to miss it, then add a reminder.

You add reminders on the same screen you enter a date. Just tap the reminder option and set a time.

The reminder will show up at that time on whichever device you are using. Reminders added on Mac will show up on iPhone, and vice versa.

Deadlines

Deadlines are for the few occasions that a task must be completed by a specific date. For example, buying a birthday present.

You set deadlines in a similar way to the date picker, but here you will always pick dates in the future.

A task with a deadline on it will be shown with a little flag, and a countdown of the number of days to go.

Even here, little details count, with the display changing to say “tomorrow”, as the day approaches.

When a deadline has passed, Things 3 will flag the task as overdue, and its flag will turn red.

Dates and Deadlines Interact

I love how these different dates interact with each other and it means I can plan things well in advance.

To use the birthday present example, I would use a combination of a date and a deadline:

I’d set a deadline for the birthday itself, because I mustn’t miss it, and it’s helpful having the countdown.

But I don’t want to have to think about a July birthday, when it’s only the middle of January.

Instead, I set a (start) date a couple of weeks before the deadline. This will give me time for researching, buying the present, and wrapping it.

Now, I can safely forget all about buying this present. I can focus on what needs doing today, safe in the knowledge that the task will surface only when I need it to.

If you’re into the GTD approach, this is the closest a task manager app has come to a “tickler” file. And if you’ve no idea what a tickler is, then don’t worry, it’s only for the complete productivity junkies among us!

Things 3 Review: Repeating Tasks

Tasks can be set to repeat on a regular basis.

There are two schools of thought on this:

Tasks should repeat on a specific date (I must put out the rubbish every Thursday night)

Tasks should repeat, only when I have completed the previous task (I want to send a letter to uncle Bob around once per month, but no sooner)

Thankfully, Things 3 embraces both schools and displays a slightly different dialog, depending on which type you choose. You can also say up front whether you’d like reminders or deadlines on each repeated task.

Through these choices, you can pick pretty much any schedule you can think of. I tend towards the simplistic side of the spectrum, but I’ve yet to find a combination that isn’t accounted for.

The one chink in Things 3’s armour, is that it took me a while to find out how to make a task repeat.

The procedure is as follows:

Open the task, so the task details are displayed.

Look at the bottom of the screen (not the task): tap on the three dots icon “…”. *

Select Repeat, enter the options and you’re good to go.

Later, I realised there is a menu option on Mac. But who thinks to use menus, when we’re used to apps doing everything through the interface?

*FYI, the 3 dots icon also gives access to “advanced” options, where you can duplicate or share a task, and convert it into a project. I don’t know if it’s just me, but this icon seems a little misleading for what it actually does. Still, it’s a very small misstep in what is otherwise a great app.

Things 3 Review: Checklists

Checklists are a way of breaking down a task into smaller steps.

Click the checklist icon and the first step is added for you, with the cursor positioned next to it.

Type your first entry, then press return to add another. Rinse and repeat for as many as you need.

You can reorder and tick/untick checklist items in exactly the same way as tasks.

The only thing you can’t do is add dates, tags, and so on.

Convert task to project

However, if you find yourself needing a bit more control, Things 3 once again comes to the rescue:

Just tap the 3 dots icon and choose convert to project.

Things will take the task name as the name of the project, and the checklist items become individual tasks inside.

This is incredibly useful.

Sometimes, I start with a checklist but soon realise there’s too many items. Other times, I know a project is coming up, but don’t want to get too formal with it yet.

I simply start a task to brainstorm the first few steps. Then, when I’m ready for action, I convert it to a full blown project.

Things 3 Review: Tags

As you’ll have gathered by now, Things 3 is in the main, designed around the GTD task management process.

However, one of the (many) things I like about Things 3 is that it doesn’t tie you to any particular system. If you want to follow GTD, you can, but if you want to do something else, Things gets out of your way.

GTD purists might balk at that. Further, they may be shocked to hear that the one thing that seems to be missing from Things 3, is contexts.

For those who think this sounds like a load of arcane nonsense:

A context is a place or resource that is required for a task to be worked on.

A context might be as specific as “mobile”, for when you need to make a phone call. It could be as general as being at “home” or in the “office”.

The way it’s supposed to work in a task manager app, is that you assign a context to each task. Then, when you look at your list for today, you filter it by your current context.

That way, you get to focus on only those tasks that are relevant right now. After all, it’s no good looking at a list of household chores, when you’re sitting at work.

Tags as contexts

Tags are as close as Things 3 gets to GTD style contexts.

If you want, you can add tags to all your tasks, and use them in just such a way.

Things 3 will display a list of available tags at the top of any of its lists. Just click the tag, and Things 3 will happily filter the list.

Personally, I’ve never really got the hang of contexts. I understand the concept, but whenever I’ve tried to use them they either don’t make sense for my life, or they quickly get out of hand.

I end up with so many contexts that it takes me too long deciding which one to use. Or, I try to add contexts to every single task and spend more time organising, than actually doing.

IMO, our modern day connected workforce means that contexts are less relevant. In some cases, such as remote working, they’ve been rendered pretty much obsolete.

I do use one or two tags in Things 3, but not always as contexts.

In practice, I mostly stick to using Areas or Projects (I’ll get to them in a minute). I use some projects to represent my longer term goals.

Things 3 Review: Areas and Projects

So far, we’ve discovered a lot of functionality in Things 3.

Much of it is wrapped up in the built in lists, tasks and their constituent parts.

But there’s more!

You can create your own lists, beyond the built in ones. These are known as Areas and Projects.

Areas and projects are like higher level “folders” to contain your tasks.

Together, they provide a different perspective on your lists. But they also work seamlessly with the standard views.

Areas

Areas are shorthand for “areas of responsibility”. They represent the different hats you wear in your life.

You can have as many or as few as you like, although I generally find that less is more. I currently have “home”, “work”, “personal”, “church” and “writing”.

Areas are just like folders, and can contain both tasks and projects.

The main use of Areas is to break up long task lists into smaller ones, so you can review them more easily.

Projects

Projects may be used by themselves, or can sit below an Area.

They are easiest to define as a set of tasks that together accomplish a particular outcome, e.g. “decorate the bedroom”.

I’m using projects for all my major goals this year. And I keep my goal projects separate to Areas, so they stay front and centre, just below the main Things 3 lists.

You can add, edit and rearrange tasks inside a project, in the same way as in any other Things 3 list.

However, projects have a few extra bells and whistles.

Projects automatically get a checkmark next to them, once all the tasks inside are completed.

They also have a little “pie chart” next to the project name, to show you how far you’ve got with the tasks inside.

This gives you an idea of how you’re doing, without having to open up each and every project from the main screen.

You can set start dates, deadlines and reminders on projects, just as you can on individual tasks. This means that you can defer a project until you really need it.

Project Headings

The unique feature of projects in Things 3 is that you can add headings.

Instead of having all your project tasks in one long list, you can split them into relevant subgroups. Examples might include:

Milestones

Project phases

Research tasks

Habits you want to establish

Unusually, on iPad, you add headings to a project in the top right view menu, not in the project menu itself.

On Mac, the option is at the bottom of the screen instead.

Compared to the rest of the interface, this feels slightly counterintuitive. However, headings are an excellent addition to an already solid app.

Things 3 Review: Sync

One thing a multi platform app must do, is ensure its data stays current on each one. This is another area where many task managers seem to fall down.

Not so, with Things 3:

You set up sync by switching on Things Cloud in the app and registering an account.

It’s painless and quick to setup. And once it’s running on one device, it’s a doddle to switch on elsewhere.

Sync works extremely well, taking just a couple of seconds or so, to catch up.

I only notice sync happening if I have made lots of changes in one app, and then switch to a different platform.

Strangely, the more tasks I have thrown at it, the quicker it seems to have become!

Several times, I’ve opened Things 3 on iPad, following some edits on iPhone, and noticed it’s already up to date.

Things 3 Review: Universal Quick Search

Things 3 features universal search, which you can access on iPhone by swiping down to reveal the search bar.

Search works on all three platforms, but really comes into its own on Mac.

In common with many other apps on the Mac, you can press CMD + F to start a search in Things 3.

However, what makes Things 3 search one of its “killer” features is a combination of these:

You can just start typing (without the CMD+F combo) and Things will start searching

Things will find lists, projects, or individual tasks and allow you to change to any of them instantly.

If you are looking for a task, Things 3 will take you directly to the relevant list. The task is then highlighted briefly, so you can see it in context.

This makes it incredibly easy to find anything.

Suffice it to say, that search has become my default method of navigation.

Things 3 Review: Support

Of course, it’s not just the features and interface that make a winning app, but the support that goes with it.

The online help pages are reasonably clear: there isn’t masses of information present, but the most important questions are answered.

A contact form is available on the website and I used it to report a couple of minor bugs.

The first reply (after the ubiquitous “it’s in the queue”message) was several days later, although they did apologise for the delay.

They did however, email me again a few days later, to say they had fixed one of the bugs and it would be in the next release.

So not brilliant in terms of initial support. But fairly snappy for developer response.

I would like to have seen a dedicated email address or ticketing system for paying customers.

Things 3 Review: Issues

Other than some minor inconsistencies in the interface, some of which I already mentioned, there’s not much bad to say about Things 3.

Of course, the elephant in the room is that Things 3 is Apple only.

Cultured Code say they like native code and I get that. But the absence of even a web app means I couldn’t recommend it at my workplace.

If you’re already firmly embedded in the Apple ecosystem, then it would be hard not to recommend Things to you.

But if you are Windows based, or only have an iPhone, then I’d say look elsewhere.

This is a shame, because Things 3 is so great at what it does. I’d love to see what Cultured Code could do with a Windows/web version.

Things 3 Review: Future

Speaking of which, there’s a lot I’d like to see in future releases.

Here’s a list, in no particular order:

Quick Inbox option to add multiple tasks at once, one per line.

Ability to set “evening” in advance, for future dates.

Errands or Lunchtime section, in addition to Evening.

Support for multi-markdown in notes.

Weekly and quarterly reviews built in to the app.

Keyboard shortcut for adding tags.

Extend natural language to task creation, not just dates.

Better integration with Evernote and other tools.

Display of other tasks happening on a day when I schedule a task.

Automatic dates added to notes (Nozbe has separate dated sections for each note within a task).

Please don’t misunderstand me: these ideas are not complaints, but a mark of great software.

I can see how good Things 3 is and it’s an absolute pleasure to use. So I naturally want to help improve it!

Things 3 Review: Ergonomics

I always like to evaluate hardware and software for its ergonomic benefits, or otherwise, and Things 3 does not disappoint.

It’s superb from an ergonomic standpoint, both on Mac and on iOS.

The extensive keyboard support on the Mac, coupled with design features such as instant search, is second to none. Nearly all actions, from navigation, to task entry and updates, can be achieved without recourse to the mouse.

On iOS, we have a similar picture. Intelligent use of gestures, plus intuitive drag and drop, make Things 3 a cut above any other app I have come across.

Things 3 Review: Price

Things 3 is available for purchase from the app store and is currently priced at:

iPhone: £9.99/$9.99 (includes Apple Watch app)

IPad: £19.99/$19.99

Mac: £48.99/$49.99

I understand the parity of prices between the US and UK is due to the vagaries of the app store, and VAT within the EU.

There is also the issue of the lack of a universal app for iOS, which would make Things 3 more appealing for many.

Cultured Code defend this position by saying that not everyone has an iPad, and the price reflects extra features not present on the iPhone. I get where they’re coming from, but I’m sure it will be an irritation for some.

Things 3 Review: A great deal on iOS

Despite this, I think Things 3 is still a great deal on both iPad and iPhone.

With the Mac version, I’m not so sure.

What do you get with the Mac app, that you don’t on iOS?

The interface looks the same, so it would be easy to assume there’s not much difference.

However, integration with other apps is better, functions like copy/paste will always be better on a Mac, and the keyboard support is awesome.

Even with these abilities, I think I would be hard pressed to sink nearly £50 into it.

It’s a tricky one. Personally, I’d feel a lot more comfortable recommending it, if they dropped the price of the Mac app by £10-15.

I think they could justify the Mac app cost much better, if they threw in a web interface. I for one would then be able to use Things 3 at the office, a Windows only environment.

That said, for those like me who don’t want to pay a subscription, Things 3 compares very favourably with competitors like Nozbe. Many of them would have you paying more across the years, for less functionality.

If I started with the iOS editions, I’m not sure I would have shelled out for the Mac app, but now I have it, I don’t want to give it up!

Things 3 Review: Should you buy it?

So what is a prospective customer to do?

In my opinion, the 3 apps work best in the following areas:

The Mac app is best for planning tasks and projects

The iPhone app is best for doing

The iPad is best for reviewing your tasks (but could also plan, if Mac price too steep)

If you just want to try it out, then by all means start with the Mac trial version. You can set it up to sync with Things Cloud, so if you later ditched it, but bought one of the iOS versions, you’d still have all your tasks to hand.

Otherwise, I’d recommend starting on iPhone, as it’s the smallest investment. You’re also more likely to carry it with you. This will give you a feel for the app, while you begin adding tasks, so you can decide if you like it.

Then, once you’ve got a few projects under your belt, plump for the iPad edition. Hopefully, this will give you all you need, without making a hole in your wallet.

Things 3 Review: Conclusion

Cultured Code have successfully leveraged the benefits of each platform, to provide a fully integrated, productivity dream for individuals. But if you want to share tasks with your team, you’d best look elsewhere.

However, what Things 3 does, it does better than pretty much anything else out there.

If you’re tired of searching for the perfect task manager, you won’t find it, but Things 3 comes awfully close.

Recommended:

]]>https://ergonomictoolbox.com/software/things-3-review-best-task-manager/feed/0YubiKey 4 Series Reviewhttps://ergonomictoolbox.com/security/yubikey-4-series-review/
https://ergonomictoolbox.com/security/yubikey-4-series-review/#respondThu, 21 Dec 2017 15:30:17 +0000https://ergonomictoolbox.com/?p=25714The Yubico YubiKey 4 provides simple, effective two factor authentication, but does it cover all the bases? For this YubiKey 4 review I tested one of the simplest forms of two factor authentication around. I discovered that it is easy to use, but slightly more complex to setup, than it first appears. I can recommend […]

]]>The Yubico YubiKey 4 provides simple, effective two factor authentication, but does it cover all the bases?

For this YubiKey 4 review I tested one of the simplest forms of two factor authentication around. I discovered that it is easy to use, but slightly more complex to setup, than it first appears.

I can recommend the YubiKey 4 Series, but with a few small caveats. Read on to find out why.

Disclosure: this review is based on a free sample of the product.

YubiKey 4 Review: Two Factor What??

I’m no stranger to password managers or to two factor authentication:

Lastpass has been my preferred app to hold all my passwords for the past few years. I have used several forms of two factor authentication alongside it, with the exception of the YubiKey. That is, until now.

But what is two factor authentication?

Passwords are still the mainstay of online security, but as we all know, passwords are inherently insecure:

Either we forget them, write them down on paper, or we choose weak passwords that are easily guessed. In other words, we’re human!

Password Managers

A password manager, like Lastpass, will store and remember all your passwords for you. It will also generate strong, random passwords for all your favourite websites, and login automatically when you want to use them.

Two factor authentication introduces a second item to login with. This could be an app on your phone that generates random numbers (e.g. Google Authenticator), or pretty much anything else.

To login, you’ll use your password PLUS one of these items that only you have access to …but crucially, a hacker won’t.

YubiKey 4 Review: Two Factor Options

Two Factor Grid

For two factor authentication with Lastpass, I started off with their free “grid”.

This gives you a printed table of random numbers and letters. When you go to login to Lastpass, you’re prompted for a grid reference, which you lookup in your, er, grid. You then enter the relevant number or letter combination and you’re in.

The downside is, that you then have to carry the grid around with you, in order to login to websites when you’re out and about.

Open Sesame

In an effort to make things more flexible, I moved on to Sesame. This is a small app placed on a USB stick. The idea is simple: plug it into your PC, then login as usual to Lastpass.

This was a good option, as I didn’t need to think much about it. In fact, this is not too much different to the YubiKey, which we’ll talk about in more detail shortly.

Authy-rise Me

Authy is similar to Google Authenticator, but IMO is a better (and prettier) app. When you login, you pick the relevant website or app in Authy, and it displays a one-time string of random numbers for you to enter, alongside your password.

Do you trust me?

The final nuance to two factor options, is the idea of Trusted devices:

When you first login to Lastpass (or a website) from a given device/browser/two factor combination, you tick the little box that says “make this a trusted device” or “don’t ask me again on this computer”.

Et voila: you no longer need the second factor to login with, in that specific location/browser/whatever. You only need the second factor when you are logging in from a untrusted or public place.

The issue for me, was that these two factor options were mostly only for use with Lastpass itself:

I had to rely on Lastpass to generate strong enough passwords to keep my other online accounts secure.

Occasionally, I’d use the nifty function to change the password of specific services automatically. This was a life saver when I came across those nasty, large-scale security breaches we’ve seen in the press (see LinkedIn and Evernote).

If all that sounds complicated, it really isn’t, at least in terms of day to day use.

In my experience, it’s the initial setup that can sometimes feel a little complicated – read “scary”. This is what puts the general public off investing their time and money.

The YubiKey 4 Series from Yubico aims to simplify the whole thing, from setup to daily use.

So, with that background and context in mind, let’s have a closer look and see if they succeed!

YubiKey 4 Review: First Impressions

The YubiKey is available online from various vendors, including Yubico themselves and Amazon.

It’s priced between £39-50 ($40-60), depending on the specific model.

On receiving mine in the post, first impressions were good:

The YubiKey arrived in a plain white envelope with Yubico printed in clear green text on the front.

The back of the envelope had a simple message to, “Get started with your YubiKey at yubico.com/start”.

The only thing inside the pack is a blank piece of card, with a plastic insert containing the YubiKey.

In this case, I received both a YubiKey 4 Series and a YubiKey nano for review, although I focused my attentions on the former.

Yubico got their marketing right on this part. The friendly green text says to me “you can achieve something with this”, while the overall simplicity of the packaging speaks calm to the soul – definitely non-scary!

When I plugged in the YubiKey I noticed it feels a little flimsy, and it stands out from the PC a similar distance to a USB memory stick. It looks a bit vulnerable:

Depending on where the USB port is located, you may need to be careful or you could catch it as you walk by.

No doubt this is one of the scenarios the YubiKey nano is designed for. This has hardly any footprint. In fact, you may even forget that it’s plugged in at all – which is a good thing, for a security product.

YubiKey 4 Review: Website

Before visiting the Start page, I thought I would check out the main Yubico website.

I wanted to see what the YubiKey and two factor authentication was all about, from the perspective of a prospective punter. As far as possible, I tried to pretend that I knew nothing about the subject.

I think the website is nice and clear. Yubico gave good, logical reasoning as to what two factor authentication is, and why it’s useful.

I was also pleasantly surprised by a great little survey to help you pick your YubiKey model, which changes according to whether you say you are tech-savvy or not.

I chose each route and found it very helpful. This is despite the fact there was one question related to security protocols, where I wasn’t sure what some of the answers meant.

It’s likely that if you don’t understand these options, then you don’t need them anyway. But it could have done with an explanation of each one, even for tech-savvy people like me!

On to the Yubikey 4 Start page…

YubiKey 4 Review: Getting Started

I should begin by saying that Yubico have done a very good job with their SEO (Search Engine Optimisation):

The YubiKey Start page appears first in the Google search results, even above the main company URL, so it’s extremely easy to find.

On the Start page itself, I see photos of the available YubiKey models.

The number of services on show is at once impressive and disappointing:

Impressive that a decent selection works with YubiKey 4.

But disappointing that many or even most of them, are either enterprise software applications (e.g. Salesforce), other security options (Duo, SecureAuth), or well known developer websites and tools (such as Github).

I would certainly have liked to have seen many more services involved for individuals, families, or solopreneurs. I’m thinking particularly of popular social media sites like LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter. The latter is a surprising omission, given that Facebook is present.

As another example, I was genuinely taken aback that not one of the multitude of task managers and productivity apps out there, appears in the list.

I would have thought that Yubico’s target market would include exactly the kind of people that are heavily into personal productivity.

After the consumer-friendly beginning, it felt like I was bounced straight back into the corporate world.

YubiKey 4 Review: Setting Up Services

I looked through the list of YubiKey 4 services to try to decide which ones would be most appropriate for me.

Being time limited, I decided to pick out the best three.

I’m a heavy Gmail user, along with AdSense and website analytics, so Google seemed an obvious choice.

And of course, I couldn’t forget Lastpass.

It should be noted that the Lastpass + YubiKey combination is only available for Lastpass Premium (or Enterprise) subscribers, so if you’re using the free version, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

That said, at the time of writing, Lastpass Premium is still only $12 per year: a very small price to pay for security peace of mind.

Tip: Lastpass offers a bundle purchase where you can buy a subscription, plus a YubiKey, together.

Google, Lastpass and…?

What about the third service?

I noticed Mac OS in the list, so I thought it would be great to test out an “offline” option.

However, on clicking the link, I discovered that the Mac OS login requires a separate package to be installed on the computer in order to use the YubiKey effectively (and it looks like it’s the same for Windows).

I’m ashamed to say, I chickened out!

But this leads me to an important question:

Who is the YubiKey 4 pitched at? Tech-savvy workers and managers, or non-tech-savvy consumers?

The marketing is speaking to the latter, but the implementation is beginning to tell a different story.

Further to this, I found that you can use the YubiKey with an Android phone via NFC (excellent idea!) – but not with my iPhone (doh!).

All of a sudden, it feels a lot more scary. And remember, I’m firmly in the tech-savvy camp.

YubiKey 4 Review: Google Setup

I decided to skip the third choice. Since I already had one form of two factor authentication setup for Lastpass, I got to work with my Google account.

The instructions themselves seemed clear enough, but they were geared towards any type of second factor, not just YubiKey 4.

Again, this could put casual or non-tech-savvy YubiKey purchasers off.

It could have done with the YubiKey 4 to have its own page, with more specific instructions.

Anyway, here is how it worked out:

Before I could sort out the YubiKey, I had to setup and switch on the general two factor authentication option for Google.

This required me to receive a text message on my mobile phone.

Then I had to plug in the YubiKey and click “Add security key” from a list of options. It had a helpful icon which looked similar to the YubiKey, but when I clicked it, I hit a snag:

I discovered that security keys only work in the Chrome browser and Safari is not supported!

I had to login to Google again from Chrome, and get another number via text, before I could continue.

To find my way back to the Google two factor page, I ended up going back to the YubiKey Start page, then clicked through once more.

Tip: from Gmail, the way back to the two factor options is by going to My Account and then the Sign-in and Security section.

From there you can switch two factor authentication off, if you wish, and change the other options.

You can also revoke a device’s trusted status.

Finally, it went through ok and allowed me to login with my password (pasted from Lastpass), followed by a quick tap on the YubiKey button.

Now it was setup, it was really easy. Here are my observations:

The YubiKey requires no pressure on the button, just a gentle tap.

Tapping the button was slightly awkward on my iMac, because the USB ports are all on the back of the screen.

This might be better/easier for Windows/Linux PCs, or laptops and MacBooks.

Sadly, I discovered that Google authentication with YubiKey won’t even work in apps on the iMac:

When I opened Spark, my email app of choice, I got a rude message saying “you can only use your security key in Chrome”.

I had to use a text message once again, even though it correctly detected the presence of the YubiKey.

The authentication dialog is an embedded version of the same web page as you would see in the browser.

This is therefore Google’s problem, not Spark’s and they really need to fix it.

Technically, it’s not Yubico’s problem either, but it would be good for them to have more information on their website about it.

If they want more people to adopt their technology, it would behove them to seek better integration from Google. After all, it’s in both companies interests to ensure that all service users have their accounts secured well.

YubiKey 4 Review: Google On My iPhone

At this point, I thought I should check out Google on my iPhone.

For the iPhone’s generic email app, I needed to use settings > mail, to access and login to my account.

I found I had to login with my second factor separately, for each Google-related app.

Google Inbox and Spark worked fine. Spark was the only one that gave me the “do not ask me for this computer again” option, on the first time through.

Unfortunately, each app required yet another text message, because NFC for the YubiKey is not currently supported on iPhone: it would be great to test this properly with an Android phone.

To be fair, I do use 3 different mail apps, so you may not have such an issue!*

*I have since realised that NFC is supported on iPhone models from iPhone 7 (+ iOS 11) onwards. So this wasn’t really a test of the YubiKey, but of my iPhone (5s).

]]>https://ergonomictoolbox.com/security/yubikey-4-series-review/feed/0Devolo Gigagate Starter Kit Reviewhttps://ergonomictoolbox.com/entertainment/devolo-gigagate-starter-kit-review/
https://ergonomictoolbox.com/entertainment/devolo-gigagate-starter-kit-review/#respondFri, 29 Sep 2017 12:51:00 +0000https://ergonomictoolbox.com/?p=25584The Devolo Gigagate Starter Kit is a new piece of technology which claims to give you blazing fast speeds for your connected entertainment equipment. Does this niche device succeed at its job? When I first heard about the Devolo Gigagate Starter Kit, I was intrigued. Having reviewed their latest powerline technology recently, I was curious […]

Having reviewed their latest powerline technology recently, I was curious about what this new and unusual machine would bring to the party.

What would the Gigagate do, that a powerline option wouldn’t?
And why would I want to pay nearly twice the price of a powerline starter kit, for the privilege?

What is the Devolo Gigagate Starter Kit?

To explain where the Gigagate sits amongst the different technologies for your home, I think it’s best to start by looking at what it is not.

IMO, the Gigagate is not a machine for extending your home network – although that is definitely a part of its function.

Due to some potentially serious limitations, which I will go into later on in this review, I don’t think the Gigagate would perform adequately to get a Wifi signal into a far corner of your house.
The Devolo Gigagate Starter Kit does extend Wifi range, but not nearly far enough.

The Gigagate is also not a device for allowing you to connect your smartphones and tablets – despite the fact that it is certainly possible to do so!

So what is it for??
The Gigagate will enable extremely fast internet connection speeds to multiple home entertainment devices.
This could include a smart TV, games console (e.g. PlayStation or Xbox), and any set top streaming boxes you may have (Apple TV, Roku).

And for this purpose, I believe the Devolo Gigagate will do an excellent job.

Why do I need a Devolo Gigagate Starter Kit?

That’s a very good question.

Why would you want to use the Devolo Gigagate when a powerline plug starter kit could do just as good a job?

I’d boil it down to 3 points:

Speed

Connectivity

Looks

For a start, unless you have the latest, greatest kit available, the speeds you are likely to get from a powerline may be much lower than the Gigagate.

Secondly, the Gigagate gives you more connections and more connectivity options.
You get twice the number of ethernet slots, compared to the one or two that you would normally find on a powerline plug.
You’ll also get a very fast, strong Wifi signal, operating on the 5GHz frequency, very near to the equipment that actually needs it.

Thirdly, the Gigagate is nice to look at.
For many tech enthusiasts, this may not matter. However, for those of us with wives or partners, or those who simply like their technology to disappear into the background, the Gigagate is another shiny black box which will look right at home next to your TV. – Much better than an ugly powerline plug with wires trailing around from it.

How does the Devolo Gigagate Starter Kit work?

Again, in order to understand how the Devolo Gigagate works, it’s best to compare it to a powerline starter kit:

Both devices must of course, be plugged in to electrical sockets in order to draw power. The difference lies in how they connect and relay the internet and network data around your home.

As I explained in my review of the Devolo dLan 1200+ powerline kit, a powerline set works by sending your internet data through your standard electrical circuits, from one powerline plug to the other.

The Gigagate bypasses your power circuit entirely and instead sends a Wifi signal from the Gigagate “base” station direct to another “satellite” box. The satellite then relays that signal to your TV equipment via its ethernet ports and its own Wifi transmitter, much like the second plug in a powerline kit would do.

It should be noted that it is possible to purchase additional satellites to go with the two boxes included in the Starter Kit. This will extend your home entertainment network further and should allow you to get the same performance in another room, such as your bedroom.

Unlike a powerline kit, there is no pass-through option here. Each station will take up an additional power socket in your home – one next to the router, and the other by your home media centre.

Devolo Gigagate Starter Kit Unboxing

On opening up the Starter Kit, you’ll find a Gigagate base station and a satellite box, both clearly labelled.

The base station has fewer ethernet sockets, as it only needs to connect to the router. The satellite looks very similar to the base station, and both boxes have a couple of lights and buttons on them.

You’ll also receive two ethernet cables, two power cables (one for each box) and the requisite quick start “installation” guide.

Devolo Gigagate Starter Kit Installation

The installation guide is purely in pictures, with no text.
However, I was relieved to find that the setup was much easier than the dLan 1200+ powerline device from the same company, both in theory and in practice.

But initial setup was not without its wrinkles…

The theory:

Place the base station next to your router and connect them together using the supplied ethernet cable.

Plug the base station into the power and wait for the two flashing red lights to stop flashing (at this stage, the power/boot up light should turn white, while the connection light will be red).

Place the satellite box next to your TV in the room where you want your speedy connection, connect ethernet cables (not supplied) to any devices you want, and plug the satellite into the power.

Wait for the two red lights to stop flashing: at this point, both units should have two solid white lights to indicate that they are on and a good connection has been established between them.

With no buttons to press when you first switch them on, it’s completely plug and play and therefore suitable for even the most technologically impaired.

The practice:
I wanted to try a direct comparison with the aforementioned powerline kit, so I thought I would set up the satellite in our extension room.

The base station booted up quickly and displayed the expected combination of lights.
However, once the satellite station booted up, I could see a white light for the power, but a solid red light for the connection on both devices.

There was no real indication in the guide as to precisely what this meant. It seemed to say “no connection”, but the online manual told a different story: “data transmission rate not in optimum range”.

Since I have good results in the same room from my comparison powerline adaptors, I was somewhat taken aback by this turn of events.

The pictures on the box clearly communicate the idea of being able to connect the devices across some distance (see box shot, below), but here they had fallen at the first hurdle.

My house is a reasonable size, but a mansion it is not!

I moved the satellite box into the kitchen and plugged it in there. This represents only a very small change in range from the extension, although there is perhaps one fewer wall to get through.

This time, I got a white connection light. Now we were getting somewhere, but then began the all important speed tests.

Devolo Gigagate Starter Kit Performance

Sticklers for detail, or the more cynical among us, may feel that Devolo’s marketing department are being a little misleading in titling this device “Gigagate”:
Despite its name, the Gigagate satellite unit only has 1 high speed gigabit ethernet port. The remaining ports are standard “fast ethernet”.

Time will only tell if this translates well into full 4K TV streaming from the internet. I imagine that gigabit bandwidth will expand to the remaining ethernet ports in future versions of the device.

The Gigagate Wifi signal operates on the ‘ac’ standard, which is output in the 5 GHz range. This should be very stable and plenty quick enough for the most demanding uses. This will of course be limited by what other equipment you have.

My router is on the ’n’ Wifi standard, so I’ll never get the best throughput, until I upgrade it. Similarly, if your connected devices operate on older Wifi standards, they will be limited by the lower transmission rates in the 2.4 GHz range.

Speed Test Methodology:

Since my kitchen is never going to contain entertainment equipment, I placed the satellite at different points in the house and tested the speeds at each one.
I used the same speed test app on my iPhone as I used previously for my dLan 1200+ Wifi powerline review.

Since I was impressed enough with the powerline adaptors to keep them in place, I wanted to see how the Gigagate would hold up against these solid devices. I therefore ran some tests before and after installing the Gigagate Starter Kit.

I ran the tests in each of the following locations:

Dining room

Lounge (location of the router)

Extension room (corner furthest from router)

Upstairs bedroom (directly above dining room)

Each time I moved the satellite from one location to another, I re-tested the speeds in each area. This strategy allowed me to get an idea of how well the Wifi signal would cope with walls and floors, while also checking the effective Wifi range from either the satellite or base station.

Please note that:
1. I only had time and equipment to test the Wifi output, not ethernet performance.
2. My router in the ’n’ class and as such, provides a bottleneck to the highest potential speeds available.

Speed test results:

Since you don’t know my house, giving you all the detailed results would perhaps only serve to confuse matters. Aside from one or two unusual readings, I found a marked improvement in download speeds, when compared to my powerline network.

Before the Gigagate was installed, the maximum download speed achieved anywhere in the house was 49.37 Mbps, while the minimum was 2.95 Mbps in the bedroom.

After installation, the maximum achieved was 57.07 Mbps. The lowest speed reading was 19.02 Mbps, but this was offset by consistent readings of around 35 Mbps in locations further from the satellite station.

Changes to upload speeds were more indifferent than anything else, but were at least a match for the powerline adaptors.

In the process of testing I uncovered some strange anomalies:

On first moving back into the extension, the connection light went white …but then changed back to red again.

The satellite appeared to be quite directional: purely by accident I happened to change its orientation and got much better speeds when the flat side of the box (with the Devolo label) was facing me.

Bizarrely, I occasionally found speeds to be slow if I was too close to the unit: move away a foot or two, and normal speed was restored.

Differences in tests conducted from the same location could be explained by limitations of my router, the speed test tool I was using, or even my ISP. I would therefore be loath to place all the blame on the Gigagate.

As you might expect, tests performed with a red connection light in play were significantly below par.

Overall result:

With a “white light” connection between the base station and the satellite, the Devolo Gigagate easily outperforms equivalent powerline networks, when it comes to pure speed.

Wifi speeds are usually best when tested in the same room as either the base or satellite station (no surprises there).

General Wifi coverage is much better across the house, removing signal blank spots, as long as within range of the base, or satellite station.

Devolo Gigagate Starter Kit Ergonomics

If I may refer once more to my previous powerline review, there’s even less to be said about the ergonomics of this device.

Once you’ve plugged the Gigagate stations into your network you’ll have no reason to disconnect them again. Pressing the network button is all you’d need to do to reset them, so no physical effort is involved at all. Enough said.

Devolo Gigagate Starter Kit Review Conclusions

My overall impressions of the Gigagate Starter Kit are very good in terms of its raw performance and ease of use.

But I still find myself feeling slightly puzzled.

I’m not sure how big a market there is for this type of product, but having tried it out for myself, I believe I have a better idea of their target audience.
It may be that Devolo are way ahead of their time and people will laugh at this post in a few years saying, “how quaint”.

However, as I said at the beginning of this review, the Gigagate is not quite the right device for extending your home network.

The range between the satellite and base stations is not nearly as impressive as I expected, and the connection doesn’t appear to cope well with multiple intervening walls – powerline models are much better for this.

The fact that Gigagate forms its own network, not a clone of the existing one, means it’s not ideal for mobile devices such as phones and tablets. You’ll use them all around the house and hence could move outside of the Gigagate Wifi range. This could prove confusing as your phone tries to switch between the two Wifi networks.

You might get around this by replacing an existing powerline network entirely with Gigagate extension boxes, but you’d be hard pressed to justify the price.

Similarly, the Wifi range from the satellite (or base) station to a connected device is not as good as one would hope.
If that’s what you were looking for, move along. The dLAN 1200+ Wi-Fi powerline would be much more suitable for your needs.

Devolo Gigagate Starter Kit Worth A Buy?

With all that said, there is still light at the end of the tunnel for the Gigagate.

When connected up at decent range (white light on both units), then the stars align and local wifi network speeds are fantastic, particularly when in the same room.

The positive side of having its own network, is that operating on the 5 GHz range means less interference from older networks. In turn, this will result in a much faster and more stable connection for the few devices you’ll have hooked up to it.

The question remains as to whether you need this device, or a cheaper powerline option: Gigagate still uses up a power socket, but without the pass-through ability of most powerline plugs.

Devolo Gigagate Starter Kit Summary

Who it’s for:
Non-techy consumers who are happy with their home network, but want plenty of entertainment streamed from the net.

Recommended?
Yes, as long as the Gigagate fits your use case – and your wallet.

I Liked:

Ease of setup

Zippy network speeds

Multiple ethernet ports

I Didn’t like:

Disappointing range between stations

Anomalies in Wifi range from individual stations

Takes up another power socket next to your TV and router

Overall:
Within the correct operating range, the Devolo Gigagate Starter Kit is a niche product that performs admirably, providing a stable and very fast internet connection for all your entertainment needs.

]]>https://ergonomictoolbox.com/entertainment/devolo-gigagate-starter-kit-review/feed/0How RSI Symptoms Affect Your Day – And Your Nighthttps://ergonomictoolbox.com/ergonomics/how-rsi-symptoms-affect-your-day-and-your-night/
https://ergonomictoolbox.com/ergonomics/how-rsi-symptoms-affect-your-day-and-your-night/#commentsMon, 11 Sep 2017 13:33:47 +0000https://ergonomictoolbox.com/?p=25520RSI symptoms don’t just affect your work life. Repetitive strain injury is a whole of life issue, and will impact your evenings, nights and weekends – if you let it. Here’s 3 ways to escape from the pain cycle. I want to start this article by exploding a myth. The myth is this: “RSI is […]

]]>RSI symptoms don’t just affect your work life. Repetitive strain injury is a whole of life issue, and will impact your evenings, nights and weekends – if you let it. Here’s 3 ways to escape from the pain cycle.

I want to start this article by exploding a myth.

The myth is this:
“RSI is a only a workplace issue.”

I suspect that most people think like this, and who could blame them? In many cases, the RSI symptoms only appear to manifest themselves in the workplace.

By its nature, RSI shows up when some activity irritates or exacerbates a problem already present in the muscles, joints or soft tissues. – Take away the activity, and the associated pain or discomfort slowly fades away.

Many RSI sufferers probably think this way too. However, the reality is that RSI symptoms are a whole of life issue: they affect our home life, just as much as they affect work.

To understand why that’s the case, I need to tell you how RSI symptoms affected me.

RSI Symptoms Make Ergonomics Important

In the early days of my RSI troubles, I didn’t fully realise how important ergonomics would be for me.

I went to work, I sometimes felt aches and pains in my hands and arms, but the aches went away at night. I soon discovered these were RSI symptoms. My assumption was that all I needed to do was change how I worked during the day, and everything would be alright. How wrong I was.

As the months went by, I began to find that the aches and pains spread further across my body. What began isolated to my hands or shoulders, worked its way from one to the other, and spread up into my neck. I started to get numbness or “pins and needles” sensations in my little fingers and along the sides of my hands.

These are all RSI symptoms. And as these issues escalated, so they also grew worse in the evenings.

At first I could go home, enjoy my evening, and come back to work refreshed. I now found that one night’s rest simply wasn’t enough. I spent hours sitting still or lying on the ground, with my back straight – just trying to relax my body enough for my muscles to unknot.

Finally, I ended up in this situation:

Struggling through work every day of the week

Spending hours getting to sleep because my muscles were still painful

Getting nothing done at weekends, because that was the only time I could truly recover

Weekends were just long enough to achieve some semblance of normality, before beginning the cycle all over again, the following Monday.

Video Gaming Doesn’t Help RSI symptoms

One of my biggest mistakes was to continue gaming.

Since my hands were already hurting most evenings, I should have known better. But games can be addictive, and my Xbox kept calling to me (at least, that was my excuse)!

Every now and then, my wife would remind me that it wasn’t going to help. And I would reluctantly agree, and watch something on the TV instead.

But I eventually realised that I needed to take responsibility for my actions and for my health.

RSI Symptoms Are Insidious

The problem is that RSI is such a gradual, insidious thing. The symptoms of RSI get worse over a long period of time, so you may not realise them creeping up on you, until it is too late.

But it’s never too late to reverse the process. I did it, and so can you!

Wherever you are with your RSI symptoms – whether you are in constant pain, or whether we’re catching it early – there is a way out.

So how can you break the cycle? That’s what the rest of this post is all about.

RSI Symptoms Require Ergonomic Review

The first thing you need to do is a full ergonomic review of your workstation.

Without this foundation, you won’t know what needs changing and anything you do change up may not be fully effective.

This will point you in the right direction, and get you started immediately with some simple, actionable fixes to your setup.

But as you may have realised by now, your workplace ergonomics are just a part of the complete picture.
So, once that is underway, you need to think seriously about your current situation and lifestyle.

The 3 most important elements are as follows:

Rest

First of all, you must get the right amount of physical rest, in the evenings and overnight.

From my experience (and that of many RSI sufferers I have come across), it’s impossible to over stress the importance of this step!

I think the best way to put it is like this:

If you are in pain from RSI symptoms, then rest is required beyond the point at which you perceive the pain to be “gone”.

What I mean by this is that we humans tend to live like this:
1. I have pain, therefore I rest
2. The pain is gone, therefore I can do things again

However, we must remember that our physiological reaction to pain is simply the body’s way of protecting itself.

Your body is still repairing, even when the immediate RSI symptoms of pain, discomfort and stiffness are no longer present.

Therefore, you must allow extra time for proper healing to take place.

If you don’t, then you will still be stuck in the cycle we have been talking about.

Recuperate

Next, it’s important to manage your body with time and breaks.

I’ve already mentioned what I needed to do with my gaming habit, so you need to take a good hard look at what you do in the evenings too.

Are you doing anything at home, which could exacerbate your RSI symptoms?

This will be based on where you get pain:

If you get pain in your hands, then typing emails at home is probably out

If your pain is in your back, then steer clear of lifting objects as much as possible

Of course, you need to think about what you’re doing while you’re in work too:

]]>https://ergonomictoolbox.com/ergonomics/how-rsi-symptoms-affect-your-day-and-your-night/feed/25 Days To Less Pain At Your PC (RSI Challenge 2.0) – Coming Soon!https://ergonomictoolbox.com/ergonomics/5-days-less-pain-at-your-pc/
https://ergonomictoolbox.com/ergonomics/5-days-less-pain-at-your-pc/#respondWed, 06 Sep 2017 10:51:12 +0000https://ergonomictoolbox.com/?p=25430Want less pain at your PC? Daunted by the RSI Challenge? Try 5 Days To Less Pain At Your PC FREE – coming soon! 5 Days To Less Pain At Your PC is a new FREE short email course to help you overcome the effects of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), and it’s coming soon. If […]

]]>Want less pain at your PC? Daunted by the RSI Challenge? Try 5 Days To Less Pain At Your PC FREE – coming soon!

5 Days To Less Pain At Your PC is a new FREE short email course to help you overcome the effects of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), and it’s coming soon.

If you want less pain at your PC, then this is for you!

I’ll show you how to update your workstation ergonomics with a few simple tweaks that will create a foundation for healthy working.
With healthy working, comes less pain, more comfort, and the ability to get more done.

Read on to find out more.

The Story Of Less Pain At Your PC

When I first started blogging, around 5 years ago, little did I know that I would eventually take up writing full time.
And little did I know that one of the main subjects of my writing would be ergonomics.

If you’ve spent any time with me already, you’ll know that I used to struggle with the effects of RSI, but overcame them. That made a huge difference to my life, and I now spend my days helping others to do the same.

Over a year ago, I set up the RSI Challenge. This was designed to help people get the best possible start in fixing their PC workstation setup. And yes, you guessed it, it was designed to do that in just 5 days.

But I realised it had some problems…

Some people signed up to the Challenge, and got stuck in:
They opened every email, avidly read every sentence, followed all the instructions and found relief.

But others signed up …and then nothing:
Little, or no, engagement. And very few emails opened – let alone read.
Without engagement, nothing changes. And if nothing changes, then that’s more people stuck with their pain.

Of course, the RSI Challenge still works: you can still get less pain at your PC from it.
If you want to see what it’s like and get some fixes in place immediately, you can still try that version here.

But I knew I could do better.
And the idea for 5 Days To Less Pain At Your PC was born…

What’s wrong with the RSI Challenge?

At first, I was confused. Here was a golden opportunity for people to get relief from pain, and they were passing it up?

I set about trying to work out what was wrong. These are some of the conclusions I’ve come to.

1. The RSI Challenge was too complex

I’m a great believer in ConvertKit’s motto, “teach everything you know”. So my first attempts at the Challenge were to stuff all of my knowledge into all those 5 daily emails.
That made each email incredibly long!

But I should have known that long emails like that, don’t work for busy people.
Busy people, like you or me, need to avoid information overload and want emails to get to the point – fast!

2. The name was wrong

RSI Challenge would have been a great name, if the idea was to get people to climb a mountain.

But those suffering with RSI don’t want a challenge: it’s already challenging enough getting to work and trying to get through the day.
They want quick, easy answers, to deal with pain effectively and see real results straight away.

The RSI Challenge does in fact, do that, but I think the name could have been a bit misleading for some.

3. There wasn’t enough support

Making changes to your setup is one thing. Whether they work is another matter.

Who do you turn to when you’re not sure about the next move?
Or what happens if you make a change, but it doesn’t make any difference?

If any of those situations describes you, then I have good news!

Enter 5 Days To Less Pain At Your PC

Here’s what I’ve done to make things better:

1. A simplified email course

Rather than trying to jam too much information in, I’ve shortened the emails drastically and updated each email to:

Reveal ONE quick ergonomic change, and

Give you ONE simple action to take.

That step will show you how to make the most important tweak for that part of your setup and it’ll take less than a minute.

2. A new name

I think 5 Days To Less Pain At Your PC is a great name, much better than “RSI Challenge version 2.0” would have been.
(That said, if you’ve got a better idea, then please let me know in the comments below).

I hope that the new name will:

reduce barriers to entry

make things more transparent

give folk the psychological boost they need to get truly involved.

3. Provide support (and accountability)

One of the best ways to get support and encouragement, is to be with others who are going through the same thing.
When we see people just like us making breakthroughs, it helps us to push through too.

With that in mind, I’m setting up an exclusive private Facebook group, just for those taking part.

When you join 5 Days To Less Pain At Your PC, you’ll get a personal invitation to the group.
Inside, you’ll be able to discuss any issues or questions you have, with like-minded individuals.
You’ll be able to let each other know how you’re getting on: what you’re still struggling with, and what improvements you’ve made so far.

I’ll also be on hand to answer some of those questions and provide further advice.
So I’ll see you on the inside!

To foster that kind of community, we all need to start together, so I’m going to limit registrations – find out more below.

Are You Ready For Less Pain At Your PC?

I’m really excited about 5 Days To Less Pain At Your PC.
I think it will help even more people to defeat RSI pain – and more effectively, than before.

If you’d like to take part in 5 Days To Less Pain At Your PC, register your interest here.

I’ll let you know as soon as it’s available (hint: I’m planning on beginning the first run in the next week or two).
Best Regards,
Tim

As a result, it should give you better, faster access, wherever you are in your home. Does it live up to its specs?

Disclosure: this review is based on a free sample, which includes the dLan 1200+ Starter Kit, plus a separate additional adaptor. Some links on this page are affiliate links: no additional cost to you, but I may receive a small commission to help keep this blog up and running.

dLan 1200+ Wifi ac Powerline Review Summary

In short, the dLan 1200+ wifi ac powerline adaptor adds fast ethernet and wifi to any room in the house.

But let’s get this out of the way right now: initial setup isn’t as simple as Devolo would have you believe.

Read on to find out more.

What Are Powerline Adaptors?

Remember the good old days when you had to run wires round your house to connect, well, pretty much anything?

Once upon a time, the only way to extend your home network was to run ethernet cables from your router to your PC, and everything else.

Then came wifi. It freed up floor space, and reduced the need for complicated and potentially expensive DIY. But that convenience brought new hazards to our network security, speed and coverage.

dLan 1200+ Wifi Extends Wired And Wireless Network

The dLan 1200+ Wifi ac aims to do away with all that by extending both your wired and wireless networks. It does this through two simple plugs, without any of the wires one might expect.

Devolo make some big claims on the box, saying that it “cures weak wifi”. They also triumphantly proclaim “Finally: wifi anywhere!”.

In fact, with the dLan 1200+ wifi starter kit, you don’t even need a router:

The two adaptor plugs supplied broadcast their own signal. Technically, this means you can use their built-in wifi and encryption keys to set up a wifi network from scratch (you would still need a connection to the internet).

To Devolo’s credit, the dLan 1200+ manages to do all this with relatively few headaches. However, initial setup is not quite as seamless as I might have hoped. More on this later.

Powerline Brings Home Network To Extension

In my house, we get our internet access via a fibre broadband package. Since it works over the land line, our router is situated near the telephone socket, in one corner of the house.

This setup worked fairly well for our home network, until we extended the house a couple of years ago.

The extension immediately became one of our favourite rooms, and an impromptu games room for the kids. That’s when the kids started moaning about the poor wifi signal in there.

The room was far enough away from the router that I didn’t want to run wires around under the carpet.

I also didn’t want to break up our lovely tiled floor in the kitchen. And I certainly didn’t want to mess up our nice new walls!

What I needed was a quick simple fix, that wouldn’t break the bank.

TP-Link Powerline To The Rescue

I already had a TP-Link powerline starter kit in place (TP-Link are one of Devolo’s many competitors). It allowed me to get an Internet connection to a blu ray player that had no wifi and just one Ethernet port.

So, with that in place, I bought an additional powerline adaptor – an extension set for our, er, extension (please excuse the pun). An extension set is simply one more adaptor that connects to the existing starter kit.

I quickly plugged the new adaptor into a power socket in the extension, then pressed a button on each plug to “synch” them. And hey presto, wifi in our new room, plus an additional couple of Ethernet ports, for good measure.

However, this wasn’t quite the end of the story.

While we now had wifi in the room, I was still getting complaints about the signal being weak or slow.

Then I received the dLan 1200+ Wifi adaptors in the post. I had the opportunity to test out a newer powerline version, from a different company – and with a better spec, to boot.

Why do I need the dLan 1200+ Wifi ac powerline adaptor?

Let’s be honest here:

Not everyone needs a powerline adaptor set.

Some people are perfectly happy with their wifi network. They can use their electronics all over the house, with no complaints from their families.

If that’s you, then you can stop reading, right now.

However, if your house is large, is a new build with lots of insulation, or an old build with thick concrete walls, then you may encounter:

parts of your home with a weak signal.

“blank” spots with no signal at all.

slow or sluggish downloads and surfing, in rooms far from your router.

If you find yourself in any of those situations, then the dLan 1200+ Starter Kit could be just what you’re looking for.

How Does dLan 1200+ Wifi ac Powerline Work?

The dLan 1200+ works in a similar way to any other powerline device:

You take the main adaptor and plug it into a socket near your router.

Then you run an ethernet cable between your router and the ethernet socket on the powerline adaptor.

Next you plug the secondary adaptor into another socket where you want to extend your network.

The second adaptor is usually in a different room, and may even be on a different floor of the house (within distance limits described in the instructions).

Generally, the only special step you take is to press a button on each plug, to “sync” or encrypt the signal between them.

The dLan 1200+ wifi adds an additional wrinkle with the wifi part. I’ll talk more about this in the setup section below.

How Is dLan 1200+ Different To Other Powerline Adaptors?

There are of course, other powerline adaptors on the market, including competitors which also utilise wifi.

With the dLan 1200+ model, Devolo is banking on one extra piece of technology to separate them from the crowd.

What that little “+” sign signifies in the 1200+ is their trade marked range+ technology.

Whereas other powerline kits transmit their signal over 2 wires, range+ utilises all three wires within your electric cables: live, neutral and earth.

Theoretically, this should give you a performance boost, when compared to the competition. Specifically, they are claiming 1200 Mbps wifi speed, and gigabit over ethernet LAN cables.

Devolo say that range+ results in a greater reach for the signal too, although my house is not big enough to test that claim.

dLan 1200+ Wifi ac Unboxing

I opened up the Starter Kit to find two powerline adaptors, a quick start guide and an Ethernet cable in the box.

One adaptor was slightly larger than the other and I assumed (incorrectly, it turns out) that this was the primary adaptor to be connected to the router.

Everything was well protected and in one piece, due to the usual “bomb proof” packaging you might expect.

So far, so good.

dLan 1200+ Wifi ac Powerline Setup

My problems began when I started looking through the quick start guide.

Devolo has tried hard to make the guide easy to use, using simple diagrams, rather than words.

However, the first issue was immediately apparent:

The diagrams clearly show 2 pin European adaptors, instead of the 3 pin UK adaptors supplied in the box I received.

To make matters worse, the design of the 3 pin adaptors means that they are upside down, when compared to their European counterparts.

This meant that whenever the guide called for a button in the bottom right to be pressed, it was in fact in the top left.

It wasn’t too difficult to work out, but it introduced a barrier that just shouldn’t be there.

We’ve all become used to seamless consumer experiences with our technology, from the likes of Apple. Other companies like Devolo need to keep up with that trend, if they want to stand any chance in today’s crowded marketplace.

I believe Devolo are a German company, so the oversight is understandable. However, if they want to be truly international, they need to get details like this right, or they could lose customers needlessly.

dLan 1200+ Wifi ac Installation

Let’s take a look at the actual installation steps.

In theory, it should be a case of plugging in the two adaptors, then press a button on each to connect and encrypt the connection.

With the dLan 1200+, there is an additional button to press in order to clone your existing Wifi connection.

The booklet gives instructions for all this, as well as another couple of options.

However, it doesn’t actually explain why you would want to do each of the steps, or when you might want to use them.

For example, the guide starts by telling you to make a note of the wifi encryption keys that are labelled on each adaptor – and then promptly ignores them for the remaining pages.

I’m fairly technically minded, but I can only guess that they might be required if I had to run the setup manually. Other customers might not be so forgiving.

A look online revealed some helpful videos, which explained things a little better. But some of these displayed different models to the one I had and navigating between them on the website was unnecessarily clunky and unintuitive.

One of the most helpful videos was unintentionally hilarious, because it was obviously made with some kind of text-to-speech software, with plenty of unnatural pauses and tone changes mid sentence.

dLan 1200+ Wifi Actual Setup Steps

In the end, these were the actual steps I took to get them up and running:

Plugged the first adaptor into the router then waited for lights to turn white.

Pressed Home button on the second (larger) adaptor, then the encryption button on the side of the first adaptor.

Pressed Home button on the second adaptor, then the WPS button on the router to capture wifi settings. I had to try this two or three times before it worked properly.

The wifi setup seemed to reset the main unit (the white light switched off), so I had to press the first set of buttons again.

This sounds more complicated than it was in practice. However, it still involved a lot more head scratching than it should have done.

Extending The dLan 1200+ Network

When adding the third adaptor, the Home button kept flashing red, instead of turning white. This made me think it was broken!

I moved it into the lounge, right next to the other adaptor, but it stayed the same.

Finally, I pressed the Home buttons again anyway, then it worked and went white.

I then moved it back into the extension and waited for it to turn white again.

This obviously won’t affect most people, because they will begin with the starter kit only.

However, it’s inconsistent with the rest of the setup and I mention it here as a “good to know”, if you’re thinking of extending your existing network.

How does dLan 1200+ Wifi ac powerline perform?

The installation will only take a few minutes, so now on to the most important part: how do the dLan 1200+ wifi adaptors perform in day to day use?

To give you some context, my router is situated in the corner of the lounge, which happens to be in one corner of my house.

The extension room is on the opposite side of the house as you look at it from the front. This means the back of the extension is at the opposite diagonal corner to where the router is.

In other words, it’s as far away from the router as you can possibly get, while still being inside the house.

I ran speed tests in 3 different places, before and after the switch:

in my lounge, near the router

the extension room, where people sit

in the same room, but in the furthest corner away from the router

Check out the image below for the test figures I got in these different places. The tests performed near my router haven’t changed much, as you might expect. However, the figures highlighted in red are those in the extension corner furthest from the router (caveat: I think the “before” upload speed was a bit of an anomaly).

While my tests weren’t the most scientific, I think the results speak for themselves. As you can see, there’s a clear and significant improvement, following installation of the dLan 1200+ adaptors.

What the speed tests don’t show, is that the wifi signal strength in the extension is up from 1-2 bars, to the full 3 bars, the majority of the time.

I now have fast wifi connections across every part of my house, with no discernible blank spots, or drop outs. I call that a result.

Most importantly, it now passes the wife and son test: My son says it is “definitely improved”!

Powerline Ergonomics

On first glance, there’s not much to say about the ergonomics of powerline adaptors. You plug them in and they just work – the ultimate in set and forget technology.

However, I’ve come to know from experience that these devices need the occasional reset.

To do that, you simply unplug them for a few seconds, then plug them in again and wait for them to re-sync. So it’s important that they are easy to hold and plug in.

I found that the adaptors themselves did that well. However, the pass through socket was very stiff:

It was easy enough to plug another device into the adaptor. However, it was quite hard work to remove the device again, without also pulling the adaptor out of the wall. Hopefully, it will loosen up with time and use.

That said, at the time of publishing this review, the adaptors have been in operation for several weeks and there has been no need to reset them as yet: another positive.

Powerline Indirect Ergonomics

Another angle on ergonomics that’s not so obvious is what you do with your other devices that run from powerline adaptors.

For example: you may now have wifi and internet available in your spare room, so you can use your iPad in there. This is great for mobility and convenience, but is not always great for your back and neck.

]]>https://ergonomictoolbox.com/ergonomics/devolo-dlan-1200-wifi-ac-review/feed/0How To Adjust Mouse Sensitivity For Best Ergonomics on a PC or Machttps://ergonomictoolbox.com/ergonomics/how-to-adjust-mouse-sensitivity-for-best-ergonomics-on-a-pc-or-mac/
https://ergonomictoolbox.com/ergonomics/how-to-adjust-mouse-sensitivity-for-best-ergonomics-on-a-pc-or-mac/#respondMon, 29 Aug 2016 19:00:43 +0000https://ergonomictoolbox.com/?p=24806Have you adjusted your mouse sensitivity correctly? Learn how to avoid this simple mistake. Most people make a simple mistake when they buy a new PC or Mac. They simply plug in the mouse (or if it’s wireless, just switch it on) and away they go. They don’t even think about their mouse sensitivity. However […]

Most people make a simple mistake when they buy a new PC or Mac. They simply plug in the mouse (or if it’s wireless, just switch it on) and away they go. They don’t even think about their mouse sensitivity.

However the factory setup for a standard mouse is only for the “average user”. And since you’re unique (and you’re reading this blog ), I suspect you’re anything but average!

There are lots of posts out there telling you how to change the mouse speed from a technical standpoint, but none of them tell you which is the best speed for you. This article will change that and show you how to adjust mouse sensitivity.

Why You Need To Adjust Mouse Sensitivity

We’re all aware of how to move and use a mouse, but we’re not all aware of the stress they can place on our bodies, particularly if we don’t adjust the mouse sensitivity.

Many people experience pain or discomfort from using a standard mouse and they tend to fall into 2 camps:

Hand and wrist pain

Shoulder and neck stiffness

In the worst cases, the pain and stiffness from one area can “link up” with the other, leading to your whole arm being affected. This may manifest as pins and needles, or strange aches and shooting pains.

So, how do you adjust the sensitivity of your mouse, in order to avoid these effects?

How To Change Mouse Sensitivity

For the best ergonomics, large movements are usually better than smaller ones. However, different kinds of mouse movement affect different parts of your body.

The large movements that take the mouse across the whole screen involve your shoulder, while small movements tend to affect your hands more.

You therefore need the right balance between these two movement types, so you can work to your strengths. Adjusting your mouse speed will enable you to do that.

Note that I am using the terms “mouse sensitivity” and “mouse speed” interchangeably. They are more or less the same thing.

With some mice, you may have the option for adjusting the DPI (Dots Per Inch) setting. However, since this setting is only available in a few cases and can be confusing, I will focus on the speed.

What you are aiming for

For best ergonomics, you need your mouse speed to be:

Fast enough to cover the screen

Slow enough that you’re not struggling to click on icons

Find Your Mouse Settings

First of all, you need to find your way to the mouse settings dialog.

Windows instructions

You may see slightly different menu options, depending on which version of Windows you are on.
For Windows 10, you need to get into the Power User Menu by right-clicking the Windows icon, then:

Click Control Panel.

Navigate to Hardware and Sound > Mouse.

Select the Pointer Options tab.

If you’re still on Windows 7, then you can usually find Control Panel on the right hand side of the main Windows menu.

Whichever version you are on, the important thing is that you end up on the Pointer Options tab of the Mouse Properties dialog.

Mac instructions

On a Mac, navigate as follows:
System preferences > Mouse > Point and Click tab

How To Adjust Your Mouse Sensitivity (Speed)

Now to the important part.

The speed slider appears under Windows as “Select a pointer speed” in the Motion area of the dialog. On a Mac it is displayed at the bottom of the tab as “Tracking Speed”. It will appear as a slider like this:

If you’ve never adjusted your mouse sensitivity/speed before, you will probably see it right in the middle of the scale. In general, I would recommend you to set it on the faster side, although personal preference does come into play here.

To get a feel for the effect of mouse speed on your ergonomic experience and to hit your personal “sweet spot”, do the following:

1. Set your mouse to its slowest speed then try it out
Make a note of the current setting, in case you want to reset it at any point.
Then take the slider all the way down to the minimum and click Apply if on PC (you don’t need to click anything on Mac) Then test it out.

As you move the mouse around, you’ll find that you have to move it a long way in order to move the on-screen pointer any significant distance.

If you have a mouse mat (or a small desk), you may even find that you move the mouse so far, and then have to pick it up and move it to back to the beginning, in order to keep moving the mouse pointer!

While you do this, focus on how it feels for your body, specifically your hand/wrist and shoulder/neck areas.

As you may be able to tell, there is a lot more happening in your shoulder right now than in your hand.

2. Set mouse to fastest speed then try it again
Now go back into the speed setting and slide it all the way up to the max, then test your mouse again.

This time, you’ll find that the on-screen pointer moves a larger distance, for a relatively small movement of the mouse. You may even feel that the pointer is “jumping” or “flicking” around the screen.

As you move the mouse, again check how your body is feeling. Once more focusing on your hand and shoulder, you should feel that there is less movement in your shoulder.

3. Take it down a few notches until it feels comfortable moving across the whole screen
Take the speed down a little along the scale, but not too far. Two or three increments should do it.

Move the mouse around again, checking that you can still move the pointer comfortably to all areas of the screen.

4. Test out clicking a small icon
Now try clicking on a very small icon such as the close or minimise icon of a program window. Do this in several parts of the screen to get a proper feel for it.

Concentrate on your hand, wrist and fingers while you are clicking. Think about how easy it is to move the pointer to the correct spot and perform the click.

Are you gripping the mouse or tensing your muscles awkwardly, or too hard? If the answer is “yes”, then you need to drop the mouse speed a little further.

5. Keep lowering the speed and re-testing
Keep going back over 3 and 4 above, lowering the speed one more increment each time.

Do this until you can click on small icons with a relaxed grip, but are still able to cover the complete screen easily.

Tip: if you find you need different speeds for different tasks, then you can get a mouse with a speed setting button, so you can change it without having to go back into the mouse settings dialog every time. Here’s an example (this one’s sold as a gaming mouse, but should do the job with ease).

If You Already Have Pain

If you’ve already got pain or discomfort then you may have to adjust your mouse in a somewhat “biased” mode.

What I mean is, if your shoulder hurts when you move the mouse, then you may need to set it slightly faster than you would normally like.

This may put temporary strain on your fingers, but would give your shoulder a rest. Once your shoulder is feeling better, you can then re-adjust.

And don’t forget the usual caveats: if you’re worried at any stage that things are not improving, or are getting worse, then go see your doctor.

Still Got Mouse Pain?

What if you’ve gone through the above steps and adjusted your mouse sensitivity, but it’s still “not quite right”?

On the one hand, it may take a couple of days or so to see the full benefits of a change in mouse sensitivity. However, if you’re anything like me (or many others in the Ergonomic Toolbox community), then it probably won’t be enough.

It may be time to invest in an ergonomic mouse.
But how do you know which ergonomic mouse will suit you?

]]>https://ergonomictoolbox.com/ergonomics/how-to-adjust-mouse-sensitivity-for-best-ergonomics-on-a-pc-or-mac/feed/0Best Ergonomic Mouse Guide – Out Now!https://ergonomictoolbox.com/ergonomics/best-ergonomic-mouse-guide-coming-soon/
https://ergonomictoolbox.com/ergonomics/best-ergonomic-mouse-guide-coming-soon/#respondThu, 28 Jul 2016 20:49:45 +0000https://ergonomictoolbox.com/?p=24773Which is the best ergonomic mouse to prevent hand pain? The Best Ergonomic Mouse Guide is coming soon (Update: it’s out now). Which is the best ergonomic mouse? More importantly, which is the best ergonomic mouse for me? Those are the questions people have been asking me recently. And the Best Ergonomic Mouse Guide answers them […]

]]>Which is the best ergonomic mouse to prevent hand pain? The Best Ergonomic Mouse Guide is coming soon (Update: it’s out now).

Which is the best ergonomic mouse?
More importantly, which is the best ergonomic mouse for me?

Those are the questions people have been asking me recently. And the Best Ergonomic Mouse Guide answers them all.

Why You Need An Ergonomic Mouse

Did you know that computer mice are evil? I blogged about it before, but I’d like to re-emphasise the points here:

We’re so used to using standard mice, we don’t realise the damage they do.

The mouse was designed for computers, not people.

It forces you to perform fine movements with muscles that were designed to do large movements.

Put those issues together in one place and you get pain in your hand, potentially radiating all the way up your arm and into your shoulders or back. Does that sound familiar?

I wouldn’t go back to a standard mouse if you paid me.

That’s exactly where I was just a few short years ago. Something had to be done.

I spent a long time working my way through different devices until I found my perfect combination for work and home.

Now I wouldn’t go back to a standard mouse if you paid me. And I know I’m not alone.

For that reason, I highly recommend that you replace your mouse with an ergonomic mouse (or other alternative device) as soon as possible.

But which one do you choose?

Why People Struggle To Find The Best Ergonomic Mouse

Many people struggle to find decent ergonomic mice (or another alternative device). Or more accurately, many people struggle to find the best ergonomic mouse for them.

That’s not for lack of trying, or because there aren’t any around. It’s because there are too many devices and too much information on all of them.

Reviews are thick on the ground (here’s an example) and nearly every alternative ergonomic device has its raving fans …and its detractors.

So how do you sift through all of that?

The key thing is this:

Each ergonomic mouse is designed to deal with a very specific problem

Over the years, I’ve analysed the reviews, the manufacturers’ websites and the questions I have received.

I believe the issue comes down to a mis-match between how the manufacturers advertise their wares vs the (sometimes sky-high) expectations of their audience.

The different brands tout the features of their device, but potential customers want to know if it will help the pain.

The problem is two fold:
1. Everyone is different and no two people have exactly the same RSI issues
2. Each ergonomic mouse is designed to deal with a very specific problem

Best Ergonomic Mouse Guide To The Rescue

That’s where the Best Ergonomic Mouse Guide comes in.

The Guide cuts through all the noise and gets you the results you want, fast:
Less pain in your hand (or shoulders/neck/back), while you work with your mouse.

In the Best Ergonomic Mouse Guide you will:

Discover the 4 different types of ergonomic mouse alternative

Understand the strengths and weaknesses of each type

Get recommendations so you can find the right ergonomic mouse for your specific issues

At last you’ll be able to make a fully informed decision on which device (or devices) will work for you.
Since I’ve done the research already (the hard way!), you’ll drastically cut short the time you might otherwise have had to spend experimenting to find the right one.

When Will The Best Ergonomic Mouse Guide Be Released?

P.P.S. If you’re not ready to make a purchase just yet, but want to stay informed, then enter your email below and I’ll make sure you’ll be the first to know. Plus, you’ll get a special free bonus, just for signing up.

]]>https://ergonomictoolbox.com/ergonomics/best-ergonomic-mouse-guide-coming-soon/feed/0Top 3 Mistakes People Make When Typing With A Keyboard Wrist Rest – And Why You Need Onehttps://ergonomictoolbox.com/ergonomics/top-3-keyboard-wrist-rest-typing-mistakes/
https://ergonomictoolbox.com/ergonomics/top-3-keyboard-wrist-rest-typing-mistakes/#respondWed, 22 Jun 2016 17:15:34 +0000https://ergonomictoolbox.com/?p=24652Why use a keyboard wrist rest? Do wrist rests help? Are wrist rests bad for you? These are just some of the questions people ask about typing at their desktop PC. #1 Not Using A Wrist Rest I’ll state my opinion straight out of the gate: the number 1 mistake many people make when typing […]

]]>Why use a keyboard wrist rest? Do wrist rests help? Are wrist rests bad for you?
These are just some of the questions people ask about typing at their desktop PC.

#1 Not Using A Wrist Rest

I’ll state my opinion straight out of the gate: the number 1 mistake many people make when typing is not using a keyboard wrist rest at all. Here I’ll reveal why that is, plus I’ll share with you the 2 biggest mistakes people make when they do use a wrist rest.

How A Keyboard Wrist Rest Helped Me

I’ve had my own troubles with typing. I used to get aches and pains in my hands, wrists and forearms. I also had occasional feelings of weakness in my arms, or numbness in my little finger (neither of which are good signs!).

Of course, my journey back to a healthy working day wasn’t fixed magically by dealing with this one issue. It really happened through a complete ergonomic overhaul of my desk and work habits.

Nevertheless, using a wrist rest played a small, but important part of that review.

Reasons Why Keyboard Wrist Rests Help

The best typing position allows your wrists to keep straight while typing. This allows the muscles and tendons in your forearms, wrists and hands to work easily together and prevents strain.

The trouble is that typing without some kind of support lets your hands and arms wander around of their own volition. Inevitably, this leads (however unconsciously) to bent wrists.

Typing with bent or twisted wrists creates tension in those same muscles and tendons, tension that they weren’t designed for. If you’ve ever tried lifting something heavy with your wrist bent you’ll know what I mean.

I recommend Kensington or Fellowes wrist rests. I currently have a foam Kensington rest at home and a Fellowes gel version at work. – No particular reason for either, but I have used both brands over the years and never had any trouble with them.

2 More Keyboard Wrist Rest Mistakes

So if the #1 mistake is not using a wrist rest, what are the other two?

Here they are:

#2 Wrist rest too close to the keyboard

Most people put their wrist rest right next to the keyboard.

I’m sorry to break it to you, but 9 times out of 10, that’s wrong. With your fingers in the correct typing position on the keyboard, the wrist rest ends up under your knuckles or the middle of your hands.

Depending on the size of your hands, you’ll either get no support, or fingers curled over themselves while you type. You’re also more likely to have your wrists bending backwards.

#3 Leaning on it while typing

Even with a correctly positioned rest, some people lean heavily on them while they are typing.

Again, this can be a bad move, because it places pressure on your wrists and forearms.
It’s fine to rest on the er, rest when you stop typing, but it’s best to type gently on it for best effect.

How To Use Your Keyboard Wrist Rest

By now, you may be thinking, “Ok Tim, but how am I supposed to get this right?”. Well, I’m glad you asked me that, because I have good news: I’ve created a special upgrade just for you.

I’m calling it How To Use Your Keyboard Wrist Rest: A quick and easy guide to prevent wrist and forearm pain while typing. It’ll help you to position and use your wrist rest in the right way for you.

You’ll avoid the mistakes we talked about in this post, as well as some others you’ll discover inside. I’ll also reveal a secret you should know: something that the manufacturers don’t tell you!

To summarise, this FREE How-To guide:

Reveals the manufacturers’ secret no-one has told you about your wrist rest…

]]>https://ergonomictoolbox.com/ergonomics/top-3-keyboard-wrist-rest-typing-mistakes/feed/0Timbo On Tech Is Movinghttps://ergonomictoolbox.com/uncategorized/timbo-on-tech-is-moving/
https://ergonomictoolbox.com/uncategorized/timbo-on-tech-is-moving/#respondMon, 30 May 2016 15:45:00 +0000https://ergonomictoolbox.com/uncategorized/timbo-on-tech-is-moving/Timbo On Tech is changing. Here’s how it will affect you. If you’ve been following Timbo On Tech for any length of time, I’m sure you’ll have learnt I have a passion. My passion is to help people like you prevent (and in some cases, recover from) repetitive strain injury caused by working on […]

If you’ve been following Timbo On Tech for any length of time, I’m sure you’ll have learnt I have a passion. My passion is to help people like you prevent (and in some cases, recover from) repetitive strain injury caused by working on your PC. There’s other tech stuff wrapped up in it too, but it’s all part of what makes me tick.

Why is Timbo On Tech moving?

I’ve been blogging here on Google’s Blogger platform (also called Blogspot) since the end of 2011 and it’s been great.

It was very easy to get started and it’s been reasonably easy to continue – I just kept posting articles based on the things you told me you wanted to read about. But there’s so much more I want to do and that leaves me with a problem…

The limitations of the Blogger platform are now getting in the way and they’re holding me back in my mission to help you as effectively as I would like.

I’ll also be changing my email address to the same domain. If you’re an existing subscriber, there’s some minor actions for you to take, so if you haven’t already done so, look out for details in your inbox.

The WordPress platform

I’ll stop posting here on Blogger and instead will post on the new site, using WordPress as the underlying technology. If you didn’t know, WordPress is the industry leader in the blogging space. It’s incredibly powerful and has loads of support.

This means I can do lots of whizzy things on there that I can’t do over here. I’m hoping to simplify the overall look of the site and at the same time make it a lot more readable.

Some of those changes will take me some time, so please bear with me during the transition period – and let me know what you think of the new design!

A new name: ErgonomicToolbox.com

“Timbo On Tech” had a nice, almost cuddly feel to it (IMO), but I think it’s time to get a bit more serious about things and have a small re-brand.

I’ve named it after my flagship ergonomics training course which I started last year.

I hope it communicates the goal more clearly: to give you the tools you need to live with technology, in comfort.

When will the move take place?

All things being equal, in the next few days.

There may be some minimal disruption while I iron out the creases. Don’t worry though, I’ll set things up so if you accidentally go to the old site after the move, you’ll automatically get directed to the new address.

Thanks for coming along for the ride and for sticking with me for all this time. I look forward to sharing the “more” with you very soon!